Monday, September 29, 2008

Most everyone has seen at least one Lassie movie in their lifetime and if you are a dog lover like me you’ve probably seen most of the ones made. Oddly enough, an enchanted re-telling of this classic tale (or should I say tail?) filmed in 2005 somehow escaped my attention until this weekend.

“This is the 11th movie about Lassie, according to the producers. It is a remake of the 1943 film, Lassie Come Home, and is based on Eric Knight's 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home.[1] The movie was filmed in Scotland, Ireland and on the Isle of Man, and though acclaimed by a number of critics, was generally poorly received at the box office. A New York Times reviewer praised the film, saying it "...balances cruelty and tenderness, pathos and humor without ever losing sight of its youngest audience member" and also exclaimed, "This 'Lassie' exhibits a repertory of facial expressions that would put Jim Carrey to shame".[1] (From Wikipedia)

I can’t believe I missed this movie when it was in theaters. The 2005 version of Lassie, directed by Charles Sturridge, is set in a Yorkshire mining town on the eve of World War II. The Carraclough family, (Jonathan Mason, Samantha Morton and John Lynch) struggling to afford food and basic necessities, is forced to sell their beloved collie, Lassie. The new owner is the Duke of Rudling, played by none other than the splendid Peter O'Toole, often accompanied by his charming niece, Cilla (Hester Odgers). When Lassie is taken from her homeland to live in the Duke's remote castle on the northern coast of Scotland, she is determined to defy the odds and return to her home and to Joe Carraclough, the little boy who loves her. This arduous and incredible adventure for our favorite Collie, who just happens to be Hey Hey II or Lassie the 9th-a direct descendent from the original Lassie, Pal, is set against a stunning series of bucolic British landscapes. Through the ordeal, Lassie encounters human and natural dangers as she finds help in unexpected places while making her way across the country to reach her home. The re-telling of this classic story is heart-warming beyond words and contains the perfect formula for a wonderful movie. The Tea Society and Lizzie the Sheltie highly recommend this version. Click on Lassie to see the wonderful trailer on Youtube.

I know it's filmed in my favorite place on earth and I really wanted to see this one so badly, but was afraid it would just upset me too much. Are there too many perilous scenes?? You may just convince me to order it from Netflix!

Willow and Kalianne, I am in awe of this film. Do you remember it being advertized because I don't? We all absolutely loved everything about it and will be adding this one to our library as well. It's an absolute shame that films like this aren't made more often.

MMM, You know I had always wanted a collie when I was little and that was of course because of Lassie. Our Lizzie( sidebar pic) is a Shetland Sheepdog( a large Shelite at that) and she gets mistaken for a collie all the time...I think she thinks she's a collie, too..LOL!!!

Pamela, I thought of you so often in this film, especially with some of the sweeping camera angles over the rolling hills and lochs. There are a couple of scenes that we're suggestive more than anything and I certainly teared up at them( one got me really good). I think they handled the filming of them very well and there is nothing gratuitous. This is well suited for a younger audience(at least for my 10 year old). With your love of Scotland and of dogs, this is the PERFECT film for you. I actually had the film ready to go back to Netflix but decided to keep it to watch again...It's that good.

I'm definitely going to have to dig this one up! I love the cast and Sturridge directed both Brideshead Revisited (my all-time favourite!) and Shackleton with Kenneth Branagh (another great). I also love dogs (don't tell my 4 cats though).